Pavel Alexandrovich Khramov master of theology (STM), lecturer, the Theological Seminary of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (3 Lykova str., Νvosibirsk, Russia, 630058)
pkhramov@gmail.com
Khramov P. A. Did Mark intend to end the Gospel with verse 16.8? Arguments «for composition», Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2023, vol. 12, pp. 46–57.
doi: 10.24412/2308-0698-2023-12-46-57
Language: Russian
There is no serious doubt that the so-called «long ending» of the Gospel of Mark, i.e. verses 16:9–20, is not original. But there are still different opinions about why the Gospel ends with the eighth verse of the sixteenth chapter. It is widely believed that, for some reason, the author’s ending was lost. The article presents arguments in favor of the point of view that the suddenly ending narrative corresponds to the character and composition of the second Gospel and is the author’s intention.
The disciples in the Gospel are shown to be incomprehensible, fearful, and of little faith. They, as well as other people who encounter Christ, are amazed, perplexed and ask questions that are not answered. In this way, Mark seeks to involve his listeners in the story being told, to get them to answer these questions. In addition, he leads them to understand that «a sign will not be given to this generation», they only need to rely on the word of Christ. Thus, the «open ending» of the Gospel invites listeners to continue the Gospel by themselves, with their lives, «walking by faith, not by vision».
Key words: Mark’s Gospel, long ending, listener, faith, unbelief, sign
URL: //rcs-almanac.ru/en/en-khramov-2023/
